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LOS PRONOMBRES PERSONALES SUJETO SUBJECT PRONOUNS |
Subject pronouns, as the words themselves indicate, refer to the person who is doing the action. In English, subject pronouns are essential in the sentence because it’s the only way we can tell who is doing what. Example:
We only speak two languages
If we didn’t use WE it would be impossible to know who speaks only 2 languages. In Spanish we also have subject pronouns to indicate who is doing the action. Below is a table of the subject pronouns in Spanish:
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SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
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FIRST PERSON |
YO (I) |
NOSOTROS/AS (we) |
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SECOND P. (INFORMAL) |
TÚ (you) |
VOSOTROS/AS (you) |
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SECOND P. (FORMAL) |
USTED (you) |
USTEDES (you) |
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THIRD PERSON |
ÉL, ELLA (he, she) |
ELLOS/AS (they) |
As you can see from the table, there are 4 different forms wich mean YOU. The reason for that is that 2 forms are used to express more respect, they are more formal whereas the other two are more colloquial and they are used in a familiar context. Examples:
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If you are talking to your boss or a lecturer: USTED |
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If you are talking to your mother or a friend: TÚ |
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If you are addressing a group of businessmen you don’t know: USTEDES |
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If you are talking to your colleagues at work or your classmates:VOSOTROS |
PLEASE NOTE: The "VOSOTROS, VOSOTRAS" form is only used in Spain. Throughout Latin America, the word "USTEDES" is used for both formal and informal situations. "USTED" can be abbreviated to Ud. or Vd. and "USTEDES" can be abbreviated to Uds. or Vds.
PLEASE NOTE: The pronouns "NOSOTROS, VOSOTROS, ELLOS y USTEDES" can denote either a group of males or a mixed group of males and females whereas the feminine forms only denote females.
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